Will Aspin happy to be “ending the weekend on a high” at Silverstone

Young racer Will Aspin enjoyed a podium finish in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB last weekend (September 24/25) as he took a third-place Pro-Am finish at the home of the British Grand Prix, Silverstone.

After some disappointing rounds where he couldn’t hit the performance highs of the early stages of the season, Will bounced back with a strong qualifying performance, finishing eighth overall and third in Pro-Am, giving him optimism for a strong race result.

Things went well in the early laps of the opening contest as he battled with class rival Hugo Ellis, before running slightly wide at Luffield which allowed Ellis alongside, running him off track and onto the gravel on the exit for good measure. That slowed his progress and, as Josh Stanton closed in on the pit straight, Will moved to try and cover the pass but misjudged the closing speed and they made contact.

Thankfully that didn’t harm either driver’s machinery too much and Will then set after teammate Jake Giddings for eighth overall. He managed to find a way past, but was then penalised for track limits infringements, dropping him down the final order and to fifth in class.

The teenager enjoyed a good start to race two, broadcast live on ITV4 in the United Kingdom, gaining two places in class and a remarkable six overall on the first lap, before showing great pace and consistency to battle with Pro class drivers and doing well to get ahead. Unfortunately, by the time Will got past Micah Stanley, the gap to the next Pro-Am car was too big to close, but he claimed a well-earned third place in class, putting the past few rounds behind him.

The Team Parker Racing driver will be back out for the final two races in the 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season over the weekend of October 8/9, on the tricky and undulating Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, aiming to end the season on a high.

Will Aspin
“The weekend started off well with two solid free practice sessions. So, we were looking strong going into qualifying, my confidence was high, and we ran three sets of tyres. On the first run we set a baseline, the second set we didn't go any faster so, after being a bit disappointed we went out on a third set, did the job, and qualified eighth overall and third in class.

“Unfortunately, a bad start compromised us a bit in race one, but after that it was a strong race up to the point where we had a bit of contact with Josh Stanton which was my fault. I was pushed wide by [Hugo] Ellis, so Josh had a run at me, and the closing speeds were a lot different. I also got a penalty due to track limits which was debatable in my view, but you get what you get. Race two I had a good start, made up a lot of places on the first lap, and once I got my head down the pace was really strong, within two tenths of our fastest lap all the way to the end. I finished P9 overall and third in class from the back of the Pro-Am grid, so I can't complain, and I've got to be happy ending the weekend on a high.”

Photos Dan Bathie